Rolling-mill for rails



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l. A. J. MOXHAM.

I ROLLING MILL FOR RAILS. No. 312,213. Patented Feb..10, 1885 1 l L L I(N0 MOde-L) 3 Sheets-Sheet2. A. J MOXHAIVL ROLLING MILL FOR RAILS. No.312,213. Patented Feb. 10. 1885.4

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A. J. MOXHAM.

ROLLING MILL FOR RAILS.

Patented Feb. 10

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arena ROLLING-MILL FOR RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 312,213, dated February10, 1885.

Application filed August 16, 1884.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. MoxHAM, of J ohnstown, in the county ofGambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Rolling Girder- Rails for Street-Railways, whichinvention or improvement is fully set forth and illustrated in thefollowing specification and accompanying drawings.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a small number ofsets of rolls, not ex ceeding three sets in train, capable of rolling atleast three different forms of girder-rails, and thus to either greatlyreduce the number of roll changes or to avoid entirely any change ofrolls, whether all or any of said rails be rolled.

The invention, in its broadest features, con sists in certain groupingsof passes in the several series of rolls, so that the metal fordifferent forms of rails, after being first put through a number of thesame passes to form a bar of primary shape common to all the differentforms to be rolled, is finally put through other and different specialpasses, according to the special form of rail desired.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the first set ofroughing-rolls, and Fig. 2 a second set of roughing-rolls. Fig. 3illustrates the finishing-rolls, making the third set of rolls in theroll-train.

Fig. 1 contains six passes, numbered from 1 to 6, inclusive, all sidepasses. Fig. 2 contains six passes, numbered from 7 to 12, inclusive,all dummy-passes. Fig. 3 contains six passes, numbered from 13 to 18,inclusive, all side passes. The rolls A and B, respectively, the upperand lower rolls of the train, (shown in the drawings) are two-highrolls, but in practice may be made threehigh.

The operation of putting the metal into and through these rolls is asfollows: Suppose it is desired to roll a girder-rail having the shape orform of cross-section indicated by pass N o. 16, the hot-metal bloom,either of iron or steel, is first run through pass No. 1, then througheach succeeding pass up to No. 6, inclusive,

the bar thus formed being rolled upon itsside in all of said passes;thence it is put upon edge into and through pass No. 7, (a dummy-pass,)then on edge again, into and through pass N0.

(N0 model.)

8, also a dummy-pass, then on its side into the leading pass No. 13, andthence on its side again into and through its finishing pass N o. 16.

If it be desired to roll a girder-rail having the shape or form ofcross-section indicated by pass No. 17, the bloom is first run, asbefore, through the first six passes in regular succes sion. The barthus formed is then run on edge into and through pass No. 9; then onedge again into and through pass No. 10; then on edge again into andthrough the leading pass No. 14, and thence on its side again into andthrough its finishing pass No. 17.

Ifit be desired to roll a girder-rail having the shape or form ofcrqsssection indicated by pass No. 18, the bloom is first run, asbefore, through the first six passes in regular succession. The bar thusformed is then run on edge into and through pass No. 11; then on edgeagain into and through pass No. 12; then on edge again into and throughthe leading pass No. 15, and thence into and through its finishing passNo. 18.

It will be observed that all the finishing passes are congregatedtogether,so as to form the last three passes. The advantage of havingall the finishing passes thus together is that all the finished railsmay thus be 'con- Veniently delivered to the hot bed or camberingmechanism.

In all ofthe rails having the above-described forms of cross-sectionsitwill be observed that the webs are identical, or nearly so, the onlychanges wrought being made in the heads. It will be also observed thatno very great difference of sectional area of head-that is, the wholeupper part, as distinguished from the webexists. Such being the case,themetal is first put through the first six consecutive passes to give it afirst shape, having suificient material in its head part from which thedifferent heads required may each be made together, with a form properfor the web oommon to or similar in all. In the dummy-passes Nos. 7 to12, inclusive, the quickest changes of location and shape of mass ofmaterial take place, such passes being more effective for such purposesthan side passes; hence their interposition (in the second set ofroughingrolls) between the two groups of side passes,

the one group in the first set of roughingrolls and the other in thefinishingrolls. The finishing passes Nos. 13 to 18, inclusive, are madeside passes, for the reason that side'passes give greater nicety offinish than dummy-passes. Each one of the leading passes Nos. 13, 11,and 15 is a close approximation to its finishing or final pass, and isso shaped in order to give the last pass nothing to do but the truing upand perfect finishing of the final shape to be imparted to the rail.

From the explanations above set forth the advantage can now be readilyunderstood of making no changes of rolls in the course of rolling railsof different shapes, particularly when it is considered that in themaking of steel rails large and heavy trains of rolls are of necessityrequired.

As a rule, each peculiar or different section of railsuch as hereinillustrated-demands by the ordinary method of rolling a complete set ofnine rolls to roll it; hence all the rolls in the whole train must bechanged whenever each different section of said rails is demanded.

Such changes are not only costly, in view of the labor involved inmaking them, but they are still more costly in the loss of time necessarily involved in effecting them.

By arranging and combining the side and dummy passes to the very greatadvantage herein described and shown the number of passes is not onlyreduced by working from a primary bar of shape common to all formsrequired, but any change of rolls may be entirely obviated. It isobvious, however, that if it be preferred to put fewer passes in thewhole of one train the first and secondset of roughing-rolls, instead ofhaving each as many passes as are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may have suchfewer number as may be preferred, and the remainder of the roughingpasses may then be put in the third set of rolls,

together with theleading and finishing passes of but one of the forms ofrails to be rolled. By this distribution of passes there would be twosets of roughing-rolls common to all three forms of finished rails, andnot requiring any change of rolls in making any of said three forms anda third set of finishing-rolls. This would necessitate but a singlechange of rolls for rolling the other two forms of rails by thesubstitution in place of the third set, above mentioned, of a setcontaining the respective leading and finishing passes of the other twoforms of rails. Thus, for instance, if but ten passes in place of twelvewere put in the two roughing-rolls, Figs. 1 and 2, Fig. 3 could haveNos. 11, 12, 13, and 16, and whenever it was desired to roll forms likeNos. 17 and 18 the rolls in Fig. 3 could be taken down and rollscontaining passes 14,15, 17, and 18 substituted. This wouldinvolve butone change of rolls, which would require much less labor and loss oftime than changing all three sets of rolls for every change in form ofrail required. It is evident that this modified distribution of passesmakes no departure from the principle underlying this invention;

I do not confine myself to the precise forms or numbers of passes shownprior to passes Nos. 13, 14, and 15, for it is evident that anysuitably-shaped passes may be employed to approximate a bloom or bar tothe shape of either of said passes preparatory to finishing in either ofthe final passes Nos. 16, 17, and 18.

Having thus fully described my said im' provement in rollinggirder-rails as of my invention, I claim 1. As an improvement in the artof rolling railroad-rails, the method or process of rolling girder-railsof different forms in the same rolltrain, consisting in first rollingthe hot blooms through the same series of passes to form a bar ofprimary shape common for all thesubsequently finished forms, and thenrolling said bar in specially-grouped passes to form the finished shapeof rail desired, whereby the labor and loss of time consequent uponchange of rolls for rolling each several form of finished rail isavoided, while the several forms of rails may be delivered in closeproximity to the hot bed or camberiug mechanism, all substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

2. In the art of rolling girder-rails, a series of two or more rollsprovided with finishing passes of the respective conformations shown atNos. 16, 17, and 18, one or all, and with a series of leading passestherefor, shaped as I shown at Nos. 13, 14, and 15, one or all, re-

spectively, in combination with rolls provided with passes for suitablyshaping the metal to enter either of said leading passes, whereby therolling of either of three several forms of finished rails is providedfor from the same bloom or bar, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

A. J. MOXHAlVI. Witnesses:

JAMES A. HAMILTON, A. MONTGOMERY.

